"The Struggle for the Independence of Puerto Rico" (La lucha por la independencia de Puerto Rico) is an essay on the history of Puerto Rico's attempts at liberation from colonial rule from Spain, in the 19th century, and from United States colonialism from 1898 to the present. Written in 1949, not only is it an outline for historians, but it is also an eyewitness account of Puerto Rican history that has been purposely excluded from the country's official history books. Author Juan Antonio Corretjer was a participant in the ascendancy and heyday of the Partido Nacionalista (Nationalist Party), and in 1936, with the rest of the party's leadership, was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment and exile in federal penitentiaries in Atlanta, Georgia, and in Manhattan, New York City.
"Why?" The reader might ask, is this work being translated almost fifty years after its publication? The reason is simpler than one might expect: It is because Puerto Rico remains a colony of the United States. Although modern technology is familiar to many islanders, and there is a façade of economic prosperity, Puerto Ricans have no political power to decide upon economic, trade, or political policies.
"Why?" The reader might ask, is this work being translated almost fifty years after its publication? The reason is simpler than one might expect: It is because Puerto Rico remains a colony of the United States. Although modern technology is familiar to many islanders, and there is a façade of economic prosperity, Puerto Ricans have no political power to decide upon economic, trade, or political policies.